Readable conversion issue

[traderkiwi]

Hi,

Hope someone can help....I work at a minesite in the NW of WA to which
some computers use PC MS Word 97. I have a Mac with MS Office 2004 and
the file transfers have been great and readable in both directions. No
problem till I upgraded the Mac with MS Office 2008. Now the PC
computers won't read my files. I have noticed that the files now saved
are now (.docx) with the 2008 version. I have changed them to (.doc)
manually but they still can't be read. Is this a simple problem of
some sort of conversion that I am unaware of or will I need to re-
install 2004 for compatibility again?????.....Cheers Phil

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Phil:

Well, I work in a Rio Tinto mine site in the far north of the NT, and I know
what the problem is

Mac Office 2008 native format is the same as PC Word 2007. A .DOCX is
Extensible Markup Language (the inside of the document looks very much like
a website). The native format of previous versions of Word was binary --
completely different language.

Changing the file extension manually only makes a hard problem worse. The
extension is supposed to tell the computer what is in the file, so if you
change it so it's wrong, the computer will be doubly confused.

But there are two other things going wrong.

There is a free converter for older versions of Word that enables them to
read and write the new formats. But Word 97 is simply to old to use it. It
doesn't have some of the functions needed. They need to go up to at least
Word 2000 to use the converter.

The other problem you are having is that when you send those files, chances
are you are using an email system. Most email systems needed an update to
handle .docx files. If that has not been done, when they get the .docx file
they "helpfully" decompress them. After that, they're cactus -- nothing can
read them

If you could transfer the files using a Transfer drive on the network, you
wouldn't get this problem.

To convert those .docx files, you need to open them in Word 2008 and use
File>Save As inside Word 2008 to save them out as the old format -- .doc.

Word 97 will read the old .doc format (and let Word manage the extensions,
otherwise you risk overwriting your original!)

Now: There are a few "issues" with this. Word 97 can't handle some of the
modern things that later versions of Word do. And .doc format can't store
some of the modern things that Word 2008 can do (especially in the graphics
area). So you will get some changes between one version of Word and
another.

Yes, you would be better to re-install Office 2004 -- it's much more
compatible with older versions of Word. Note: It will require the free
converter from Microsoft to enable it to read and write .docx files.

Hope this helps

Hi,

Hope someone can help....I work at a minesite in the NW of WA to which
some computers use PC MS Word 97. I have a Mac with MS Office 2004 and
the file transfers have been great and readable in both directions. No
problem till I upgraded the Mac with MS Office 2008. Now the PC
computers won't read my files. I have noticed that the files now saved
are now (.docx) with the 2008 version. I have changed them to (.doc)
manually but they still can't be read. Is this a simple problem of
some sort of conversion that I am unaware of or will I need to re-
install 2004 for compatibility again?????.....Cheers Phil

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[mexicanchef]

Hi Phil:

Well, I work in a Rio Tinto mine site in the far north of the NT, and I know
what the problem is

Mac Office 2008 native format is the same as PC Word 2007.  A  .DOCX is
Extensible Markup Language (the inside of the document looks very much like
a website).  The native format of previous versions of Word was binary --
completely different language.

Changing the file extension manually only makes a hard problem worse.  The
extension is supposed to tell the computer what is in the file, so if you
change it so it's wrong, the computer will be doubly confused.

But there are two other things going wrong.

There is a free converter for older versions of Word that enables them to
read and write the new formats.  But Word 97 is simply to old to use it..  It
doesn't have some of the functions needed.  They need to go up to at least
Word 2000 to use the converter.

The other problem you are having is that when you send those files, chances
are you are using an email system.  Most email systems needed an updateto
handle .docx files.  If that has not been done, when they get the .docxfile
they "helpfully" decompress them.  After that, they're cactus -- nothing can
read them

If you could transfer the files using a Transfer drive on the network, you
wouldn't get this problem.

To convert those .docx files, you need to open them in Word 2008 and use
File>Save As inside Word 2008 to save them out as the old format -- .doc.

Word 97 will read the old .doc format (and let Word manage the extensions,
otherwise you risk overwriting your original!)

Now:  There are a few "issues" with this.  Word 97 can't handle some of the
modern things that later versions of Word do.  And .doc format can't store
some of the modern things that Word 2008 can do (especially in the graphics
area).  So you will get some changes between one version of Word and
another.

Yes, you would be better to re-install Office 2004 -- it's much more
compatible with older versions of Word.  Note:  It will require the free
converter from Microsoft to enable it to read and write .docx files.

Hope this helps




--
Don't wait for your answer, click here:http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group.  Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia.   mailto:[email protected]

 

[mexicanchef]

Hi John,

Thanks for your time and effort on your answer to this problem. Much
appreciated!

I will have another go at it when fly back up tomorrow and take MS
Office 2004 to re-install if prob persists. Will focus on what you
said..... "To convert those .docx files, you need to open them in Word
2008 and use
File>Save As inside Word 2008 to save them out as the old format
-- .doc. Word 97 will read the old .doc format (and let Word manage
the extensions,otherwise you risk overwriting your original!)"......

By the way, all transfers are done by flashdrive.

Phil

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Phil:

OK, Flashdrive transfers will work fine. The magic incantation is "Save as
..doc..."

Changing the "extension" only makes things waaay worse because now Word is
being told the file is .doc when the content is actually XML.

If you leave the extension alone, anything Word 2000 and later will either
go and get the file converter from Microsoft, or already has it and will
simply open the file straight up. The XML converter is read-write.

However, Word 97 is simply too old to be still in use in business -- it's
not safe because it is no longer being patched, so any computer it is
installed on is at extreme risk of nasties. The IS Department should "know"
this -- raise a Help Desk ticket and tell the idle idiots they still have
some Office 97 components in service. Their boss will freak if he sees it
in the log

Oh, one more thing... Don't try to open the file directly from the
flash drive. Mac writes a two-fork file to a flash drive, and elderly
versions of Windows don't like it -- and may try to open the wrong fork
(which doesn't contain the document data, only the icon!). Copy the file to
the local computer and use File>Open within Word. The file should then open
straight up.

You can't double-click on an old version of Windows because it does not know
about the latest Mac file-type and creator code, so may do strange things
when it sees them. If you use Fie>Open within Word, Word has control of the
file from the start and there's only half the possibility of accidents.

Cheers

Hi John,

Thanks for your time and effort on your answer to this problem. Much
appreciated!

I will have another go at it when fly back up tomorrow and take MS
Office 2004 to re-install if prob persists. Will focus on what you
said..... "To convert those .docx files, you need to open them in Word
2008 and use
File>Save As inside Word 2008 to save them out as the old format
-- .doc. Word 97 will read the old .doc format (and let Word manage
the extensions,otherwise you risk overwriting your original!)"......

By the way, all transfers are done by flashdrive.

Phil

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]